Member

Paula Berg

Manager Emerging Media
Member Since 2006

After brief stints selling beer on Phish tour and working for the Colorado and United States Senates, I woke up and smelled the jet fuel and began my career here at Southwest Airlines. Since joining the Southwest Airlines family in 2001, I have served in a variety of communication roles, but for the last several years my time and energy have primarily been focused on harnessing social media tools - like this blog - to improve Customer communication. We launched Nuts About Southwest in April 2006 and have since expanded our efforts to a variety of online channels including Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube. We continue to incorporate social media into every aspect of communication in a way that makes sense for Southwest and meets your expectations. Any suggestions? Let me know!

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Recent Activity:

Yesterday, PR NEWS held its annual PR News’ PR People Awards at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. The awards showcase the top talent, innovators, and PR professionals who work day in and day out to take communication to the next level. We are thrilled to announce that several of our colleagues here at Southwest were recognized for their outstanding performance... read more

Southwest Airlines can confirm that passengers are NOT avoiding travel today, Friday the 13th. Traditional superstitions appear to have been cast aside by many travelers still looking for a low fare and great Customer Service. Initial reports indicate that Customers are not avoiding row 13 on the Southwest Airlines fleet today, nor has the date prevented flying... read more

Even though "Bags Fly Free" on Southwest Airlines, lighter is always better! Kate Forgach offers five essentials for packing light on the "Go Frugal" blog. Click here for some great tips: http://www.freeshipping.org/blog/5-essentials-for-packing-light

Gary Kelly, Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer and Laura Wright, Senior Vice President Finance and Chief Financial Officer will discuss our third quarter 2009 results via live webcast at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time today (Thursday). If you would like to listen in, the live broadcast will be available at http://www.videonewswire.com/event.asp?id=62631. ... read more

Beginning today, Southwest is offering fares starting as low as $59 one-way to select destinations nationwide. Fares must be purchased by Oct. 15, 2009, and are available for travel everyday except Fridays and Sundays from Oct. 13, 2009, through Feb. 11, 2010. To get these low fares, visit www.southwest.com. Examples of fares include (see Additional Fare Rules... read more

Who remembers when we served margaritas onboard? Sounds good, but few people ordered them at the time, so we removed from the menu and have since added products like Monster Energy Drink and Coke Zero. To ensure that we are meeting Customer expectations and minding costs, we continually review our onboard menu – drinks, snacks, etc. – taking into consideration both... read more

Are you a Rapid Rewards frequent flyer program member? If not, you’ll want to become one immediately. Beginning today, all Rapid Rewards Members have the opportunity to receive a bonus Rapid Rewards credit for every one-way flight—no matter where they fly. All you have to do is: 1. Register for our Double Credit promotion 2. Book a flight 3. Travel... read more

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CARGO EARNS 2009 QUEST FOR QUALITY AWARD Southwest Airlines Ranks Number One in Quality for Fourth Consecutive Year DALLAS—Aug. 31, 2009— Southwest Airlines Cargo is proud to announce Logistics Management magazine ranked the airline number one among all air carrier “Quest for Quality” award winners. For the fourth year in a row, Southwest... read more

Airline Concludes Proof of Concept Testing DALLAS—Aug. 21, 2009—Southwest Airlines and Row 44 are continuing plans to roll out wi-fi beginning in the first quarter of 2010. Beginning this fall, Southwest will be moving to the next step of certifying Southwest’s full fleet with plans to begin fleetwide rollout of the Row 44 satellite service in the first... read more

The following information was issued today by Southwest Airlines via news release: SOUTHWEST AIRLINES’ BID TO ACQUIRE FRONTIER NOT SELECTED AT AUCTION Carrier’s Refusal to Remove Labor Requirement Key in Decision Southwest Airlines confirmed today that its bid to acquire Frontier Airlines was not selected. Southwest submitted a bid of more than $170 million to... read more

To listen to a conference call held today to discuss Southwest’s bid proposal with Ron Ricks, Executive Vice President Corporate Services and Corporate Secretary, and Bob Jordan, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Planning, please click HERE. The Transcript from the call is below. Operator: Good day and welcome to the Southwest Airlines conference call.... read more

Low-Fare Carrier Submits Bid of More Than $170 million DALLAS, TX—Aug. 10, 2009—Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) confirmed today that the carrier submitted its binding cash offer of more than $170 million to acquire Frontier Airlines, which will be sold at auction as part of Frontier’s bankruptcy case. The bid was submitted to Frontier in accordance with the... read more

A press release was issued today announcing that Southwest Airlines has submitted a proposal to acquire Frontier Airlines, which will be sold at auction in bankruptcy court this month. The following memo was sent to all Southwest Airlines Employees from our CEO, Gary Kelly. This morning Southwest Airlines submitted a bid of more than $170 million to acquire Frontier... read more

Last week, Southwest Airlines confirmed that it was preparing a bid to acquire Denver-based Frontier Airlines, which will be sold at auction in bankruptcy court next month. Yesterday, August 3, was the deadline for any interested party to file a nonbinding proposal to bid on Frontier Airlines in bankruptcy court. As of yesterday, Southwest Airlines and Republic Airways are... read more

Follow-up Q&A with Ron Ricks, Executive Vice President Corporate Services and Corporate Secretary Yesterday, Southwest Airlines confirmed that it is preparing a bid to acquire Denver-based Frontier Airlines, which will be sold at auction in bankruptcy court next month. I was able to speak with Ron Ricks, our Executive Vice President Corporate Services and Corporate... read more

Q&A with Ron Ricks, Executive Vice President Corporate Services and Corporate Secretary Today, Southwest Airlines confirmed that it is preparing a bid to acquire Denver-based Frontier Airlines, which will be sold at auction in bankruptcy court next month. We sat down with Ron Ricks, our Executive Vice President Corporate Services and Corporate Secretary, to discuss... read more

The Safety and Security of our Customers is our number one priority at Southwest Airlines. Period. This commitment to a safe and secure operation is shared by all Southwest Employees, from the Boardroom to the New Hire training classroom. Our commitment to Safety and Security is job one throughout our aircraft, all over our 67 airports, and within our offices. The commitment... read more

As the last steamy days of summer continue to hold sway, it’s hard to realize that Halloween is just around the corner. Especially if you are looking for just the right Halloween persona, there just isn’t much time left. Our CEO, President, Chairman, and once-a-year Halloween star asked me to write this quick post because he out on the road right now in every corner... read more

It’s right there in our Mission Statement: “The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit,” and let me tell you—we take that part about Company Spirit very seriously. In fact, we take it very literally. I know a lot of people who don’t... read more

As you know, we’ve been testing Wi-Fi on four aircraft since March. I’m happy to announce we have concluded our testing for inflight Wi-Fi and we are very happy with both the technical performance of the system and the response of Customers who have used it. We are pleased to be continuing with our plans to offer satellite-enabled broadband access through... read more

Longtime Customer and Southwest friend, Drew Ramsey accompanied the ferry flight carrying volunteers from Dallas to Boston for our inaugural service. This past Saturday, I had the honor and pleasure of joining approximately 80 Southwest Airlines Employees on the ferry flight from Dallas Love Field to Boston Logan Airport. From the beginning, I could tell the flight... read more

Do you remember that scene from the movie, This Is Spinal Tap, where the band leaves their dressing room ready to storm the stage, but they keep running into broom closets and dead ends? Hold that thought! Southwest began its service to Boston in true LUV style. Close to 100 Employees, including our wonderful group of Employees now stationed at Boston Logan,... read more

The following information was issued today by Southwest Airlines via news release: SOUTHWEST AIRLINES’ BID TO ACQUIRE FRONTIER NOT SELECTED AT AUCTION Carrier’s Refusal to Remove Labor Requirement Key in Decision Southwest Airlines confirmed today that its bid to acquire Frontier Airlines was not selected. Southwest submitted a bid of more than $170 million to... read more

There are a lot of Southwest "urban" legends about how an amazing and unique program that serves communities all across the country came to be born. In truth, the Adopt-a-Pilot program at Southwest Airlines was born out of a cooperative effort with the Smithsonian Institute’s National Air and Space Museum, the National Association of Teachers of Math, and other... read more

A press release was issued today announcing that Southwest Airlines has submitted a proposal to acquire Frontier Airlines, which will be sold at auction in bankruptcy court this month. The following memo was sent to all Southwest Airlines Employees from our CEO, Gary Kelly. This morning Southwest Airlines submitted a bid of more than $170 million to acquire Frontier... read more

On my worst days, I remain grateful to work for Southwest Airlines. But there are other times that just make me feel I'm simply unworthy to be the lowliest member of a Family of 35,000+ Superstars. One of those moments happened recently, and I just thought I'd share it. I was headed back to Dallas from a West Coast business trip, was booked on a... read more

Last week, Southwest Airlines confirmed that it was preparing a bid to acquire Denver-based Frontier Airlines, which will be sold at auction in bankruptcy court next month. Yesterday, August 3, was the deadline for any interested party to file a nonbinding proposal to bid on Frontier Airlines in bankruptcy court. As of yesterday, Southwest Airlines and Republic Airways are... read more

At every wedding celebration, there are always a few nuts: the aunt who wears a horrifically low-cut gown, the uncle who has to bless the union by belting out some Frank Sinatra with the band, or the friend who busts out the robot on the dance floor. (In my case, I had some SWA Coworkers.) However, at a recent wedding of Southwest Frequent Flyers Lorig and Gaspar, the... read more

Follow-up Q&A with Ron Ricks, Executive Vice President Corporate Services and Corporate Secretary Yesterday, Southwest Airlines confirmed that it is preparing a bid to acquire Denver-based Frontier Airlines, which will be sold at auction in bankruptcy court next month. I was able to speak with Ron Ricks, our Executive Vice President Corporate Services and Corporate... read more

Q&A with Ron Ricks, Executive Vice President Corporate Services and Corporate Secretary Today, Southwest Airlines confirmed that it is preparing a bid to acquire Denver-based Frontier Airlines, which will be sold at auction in bankruptcy court next month. We sat down with Ron Ricks, our Executive Vice President Corporate Services and Corporate Secretary, to discuss... read more

When I left my little home town of Eldorado, Wisconsin, almost 14 years ago and came to work for Southwest Airlines in the big city of Dallas, I was taken in by the Southwest family and hoped to one day see us serve Milwaukee. Even in these trying economic times, dreams really do come true! Over the years I have met so many of our 35,000+ Employees and to my... read more

As many of you know, we love celebrating around here at Southwest Airlines, and this is the time of year to Celebrate Moms. We’ve partnered with Disney and Macy’s to send 51 deserving Moms on a coast-to-coast celebration that includes royal treatment from Disney. To enter and learn more, go to www.macys.com/mom. As a mom myself of three awesome kids, many of our... read more

You’ve seen him on YouTube, you’ve twittered about him all month, you’ve shared his video with all your friends—heck, even Oprah talked about him on her “Live Friday” show last week! Now’s your chance to catch David Holmes, Southwest’s own “Rapping Flight Attendant”, perform on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on April 28th at 10:35 CST. Our own... read more

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) today reported a first quarter 2009 net loss of $91 million, or $.12 loss per diluted share, compared to net income of $34 million, or $.05 per diluted share, for first quarter 2008. First quarter 2009 results included special charges totaling $71 million (net), relating to non-cash, mark-to-market and other items associated with a portion of... read more

This week’s episode of Red Belly Radio is about two people flying from Chicago to Nashville. They were not traveling together, nor did they know each other. Roy Harris, a Southwest Airlines Customer would meet Rachael Jacobs, a Southwest Airlines off-duty flight attendant in the gate area. A typical introduction between two people might go something like “Rachael this is... read more

Remember how I won that contest and became the Southwest Airlines blog-o-spondent? Well this is my first official trip, to Chicago! Witness museums, snow, public art, trains, fancy dolls, improv, and lots and lots of food. Where should I go next?